Mariela's review
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Díaz
Mariela's review
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
Mariela's review
rating:
junot is super talented. he reminds me of the writers of "the wire," a show i couldn't get into but could totally appreciate how they wrote real, of-the-streets dialogue. diaz's book follows the de leon family who has been cursed (fuku) by a strong dominican curse that sometimes shows up as a man with no face (similar imagery as in drown). you meet oscar, a tragic fat loser kid who really lives in his own fantasy world but gets balls at the end; his mom, who's life was similarly tragic but survived for longer than expected; the proud and strong grandmother, la inca, that reminds me of a million latina abuelas; and his sister, lola, the real survivor who somehow broke the curse. it's interesting that it's narrated by yunior, lola's sometimes boyfriend and oscar's friend, if you can call him that. it allows the narrative to have a detached and funny vibe, despite the decidedly unfunny circumstances.
i learned a lot about the history of the dominican republic and its di...more
i learned a lot about the history of the dominican republic and its di...more
